A personal blog about quilting, sewing and life as a mother. Lots of free tutorials including beginning quilting tutorials, binding tutorials, and other sewing projects like bags, quilt blocks and nursing covers.

Beginning Quilt-a-long Week 2 – Choosing Fabric

For most quilting projects I use 100% Cotton. Occasionally I will use vintage sheets or something else that is a cotton/poly blend. Try not to mix fabrics as 100% Cottons and Blends will wash and wear differently. That said, if you are making something like a memory quilt out of old clothes or something similar where you are mixing a variety of fabric types it will probably be fine – just keep in mind that different types of fabric will wear differently over time.

I generally do not pre-wash my fabric I like the sizing that is in the store-bought fabric because I feel like it makes it easier to accurately rotary cut. If you stick to high-quality 100% cotton quilting fabrics that come from the independent shops or the higher-end selection at JoAnn, Hancock, etc. you should not have a problem with colors bleeding, etc. If the fabric is older or lower-quality I would suggest prewashing before you start cutting. There is more information about washing finished quilts here.

Probably one of the most intimidating parts of beginning a quilting project is choosing just the right fabric. Here are a few simple tips to help in that process.

There are two main factors to consider when picking fabrics for a project: color and scale.

Color: Above is a collection I used for a recent quilt. First I picked a balanced variety of colors – especially lights vs darks (or in this case lights vs brights.) Then I picked different shades of the same color. Look at the oranges – they are all part of the same color family, but they are all different shades. This will give your quilt a lot more visual interest. Fabrics colors that are too matchy-matchy (i.e. all the oranges are the same shade) will make your quilt feel flat.

Scale or size: Currently there are some gorgeous large-scale graphic prints available. They are so fun to work with and make a really interesting quilt. But if every print you use is the same scale (size), your quilt will look out of control. There will be no place for your eye to rest and the beautiful big prints will just get lost. What we need is contrast. Not only in color, but in scale. So again, I divide my fabrics into groups by scale: Large, medium, and small.The large and medium scale prints are both busy and colorful but the design repeats are closer together in the medium scale prints. The small prints almost read as solids. They aren’t solid, but if you step back and squint your eyes they look like a solid color. These prints provide thecontrast for the busier large and medium size prints to really show them off. They provide a place for your eye to rest. You can use actual solids – which I sometimes like – but the design becomes more flat. With a small print ‘solid’ you get more ‘texture’ or interest to the quilt.

Above are the fabrics I chose for the project we’re going to work on for this series. The 10 different fabrics are in the top left corner. I chose an equal balance of colors (2 fabrics per color) and tried to vary the prints’ scale for each color. When breaking down the fabrics by scale alone, there is also a balance of small, medium, and large.

With the myriad of fabric designs out there to choose from, it can still be overwhelming to narrow down your options. I suggest picking one focus fabric first, then building your quilt around that one fabric. In this example above we chose the jungle print first and used it as our jumping off point for choosing matching colors. From there we went for a variety of scale options.

When you’ve assembled your fabrics – and before you start cutting – stand back and look at the collection as a whole. Squint your eyes to change perspective. Is something too dominant? Something lacking? Now’s the time to change.

If you are still experiencing some analysis paralysis about choosing fabrics there are some excellent products on the market right now that make great shortcuts. First of all, most designer fabrics come in collections with coordinated colors and a variety of print scales. Stick inside a collection and it simplifies your decision.

Even better, fabric companies like Moda now feature pre-cut coordinated fabrics in squares and strips. One product called Charm Packs (above) contain about 40 different 5″ squares – at least one print from an entire collection. They also come in a pack of 10″ squares. I frequently recommend Charm Packs to beginning quilters as a simple way to get a large variety and easily coordinated collection of fabric, without having to buy a lot of yardage.

thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderfully written little tutorial! Last summer I made my first quilt- Fat Friday from All Washed Up in a mix of blues and yellows…and while I did a good job with the actual sewing my yellows are to close in color and my quilt does appear flat to me. I am going to make the Wild Things quilt from Thimble blossom and am PRINTING OUT this tutorial when I

Hi Amy, thank you so much for writing this, it is SO helpful. I have been overwhelmed by fabric selection recently. Amy from Stitchery Dickory Dock is a friend and referred me to your site since I&#39;m trying to make my first quilt. I can&#39;t wait to go through all of your other awesome articles! Thanks, -Allison

I am so glad I found your blog and tutorial. It was clearly described and the photos were great. Thanks for making fabric selection so much easier. I look forward to your next tutorial on design as that is an area I am unfamiliar with. I usually follow patterns or take a class and want to learn to design my own quilts (and have them fit together)! Thanks again.

Hi Brittini! Thanks for your comment. Sadly, Bliss is hard to find these days (although you could google Bliss Moda Fabrics and some might turn up!) Another similar collection by the same designers is available in stores right now called Vintage Modern. Same colors and cuteness, if you can&#39;t find any Bliss. Good luck!

I know this is a lot to ask, but I have a lot of yardage of that Alexander Henry Zoo print (the regular one and the tiny one) that I used for a duvet for my son&#39;s toddler bed. He loves it and I have a bunch more so I want to make him a patchwork blanket or quilt in twin size – something that will grow up with him, at least for a while. He is rapidly outgrowing the toddler duvet Anyway,

Jennifer, I don&#39;t have a return email for you, so I&#39;m hoping you&#39;ll see this here. I&#39;m afraid I made the quilt two years ago and most of the prints are pretty hard to find now, but here&#39;s what my sister did, and what I suggest for you too. Take the Zoo print to an independent quilt shop and just start pulling bolts or fat quarters in greens, browns, oranges and blues. I think

Thanks! It did not occur to me to leave and email for you – I have been checking back about once a week! I love your blog so I&#39;m there anyway haha. I did recently discover that there is an independent quilt shop in my area that carries Riley Blake designs, and I&#39;m planning to get over there and snag some chevron. I&#39;m sure I can find more there than at the chain stores. I usually

ah. thank – you. I&#39;ve tried my hand at little scraps of quilts to see what I can do, but now am ready to make a proper one for a friend&#39;s baby and got stumped at the first hurdle! thanks so much for this fabric blog – suddenly it all makes sense! *phew*

I am new to sewing and really want to tackle a quilt. My daughter loves to go through my fabric and she thinks each cut of fabric is a blanket, ha ha. Pretty sure she has a few yards of fabric in her bed right now that she is using as blankets. I have a ton of flannel and I am thinking of using that to make a cozy winter quilt. Do you think flannel will work okay for a quilt?

Hello,<br /><br />I have been looking for a good pattern for a baby quilt for my newest grand baby and I really have very little experience at quilt making. But, I have a fabric very similar to the one you have posted here. I&#39;d love to know what pattern you used and if it would be a good pattern for a beginner.<br /><br />I&#39;ll continue onto the rest of your series which I found via

Hello,<br /><br />I have been looking for a good pattern for a baby quilt for my newest grand baby and I really have very little experience at quilt making. But, I have a fabric very similar to the one you have posted here. I&#39;d love to know what pattern you used and if it would be a good pattern for a beginner.<br /><br />I&#39;ll continue onto the rest of your series which I found via

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Copyright 2008-2013 Amy Smart/DiaryofaQuilter.com. All photos and content are my own unless otherwise noted. I love when people link to or pin my content, only please cite the original post. Please do not reproduce or publish copies of my patterns and tutorials. Contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you!